Venetian blind operating mechanism



y 1939- w. E. SHEHAN 2,157,637

VENETIAN BLIND OPERATING MECHANISM Filed Sept. 18, 1936 2 She'ets-Sheeyl 4 11V VENTOR WILLIAM! E SHEHQN BY Z,

W A TTOR%EY May 9, 1939. w SHEHAN 2,157,637

VENETIAN BLIND OPERATING MECHANISM Filed Sept. 18, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 11v VENTOR Will/H1115 JHEHQN A TTORN Y Patented May 9, 1939 VENETIAN BLIND OPERATING MECHANISM William E. Shehan, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application September 18, 1936, Serial No. 101.453

This invention relates to Venetian blinds, and particularly pertains to a mounting and operating mechanism for Venetian blinds.

In the construction and operation of blinds of the Venetian blind type, a plurality of slats are mounted upon flexible supporting members, and are provided with means whereby the slats may be raised and lowered to change the effective opening of a window, and whereby they may be simultaneously tilted to change the degree of open space between the individual slats. It is the principal object of the present invention to provide a mounting structure including a tilt bar and tilt bar brackets which are capable of convenient and direct manipulation to rotate the tilt bar, and to control the degree of closing of the slats, said structure being so designed and arranged as to insure that the slats when tilted will retain their tilted and set position, and will make it possible for the blind to be raised and lowered without eflecting the tilted position of the individual slats. It is another object of the present invention to provide a blind tilt and mounting which is inexpensive, simple in construction, and may be easily installed and manipulated.

The present invention contemplates the provision of a unitary tilt bracket detachably carrying a tilt bar at one end, the opposite end of the 'tilt bar being supported on a secondary tilt bracket whereby the tilt bar will be held in a position to readily operate and to maintain itself in a desired set inclination.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a view in elevation showing the application of the present invention to a Venetian blind.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view in vertical section and elefiition with parts broken away showing the blind mounting and the relationship of the tilt brackets thereto.

Fig. 3 is a View in horizontal section through the blind mounting as seen on the line 3Zi of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view in vertical section showing the tilt rail bracket as seen on the line 5-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a view in vertical section through the tilt rail bracket as seen on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. '4 showing the tilt rail in a tilted position. Fig. 7 is a view in end elevation showing the position of a lifting cord bracket to a tilt rail bracket as seen on the line of Fig.2.

Fig. 8 is a view in vertical section as seen on the line 88 of Fig. 7 showing the lifting cord bracket structure.

Fig. 9 is a view in transverse section taken on the line 9-9-01 Fig. 7 showing the manner in 5 which the lifting cords are maintained in an untangled condition.

Fig. 10 is a view in end elevation showing a tilt bracket with its outer pulley section removed to show that these parts may be interchanged or 10 adapted to accommodate a cord or chain.

Fig. 11 is a view of the bottom of one tilt bracket showing the means for interchangeably .accommodating the cordfitting.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 15 I0 indicates a window frame. Mounted across the upper end thereof is a header bar H which is shown in Figs. 2 and 3 as being formed with a longitudinal channel l2. This bar is secured horizontally in the top of the window frame by screws l3. Mounted at the opposite ends of the header bar is a tilt bracket I 4' and an operating tilt bracket l5. These brackets are each formed with a pair of frame elements l6 and I! which provide a composite frame for the bracket. The frame elements are formed at their upper ends with feet I8 engaged by screws l9 by which they are secured to the header bar. The frame elements l6 and ll are secured in their assembled relationship by suitable fastening means, such for example as rivets. At the lower ends of the frame elements an opened mouth 20 occurs to accommodate a gear segment 2|. The gear segments as shown in Figs. 4 and 6 of the drawings are substantially semi-circular and carry oppositely extending marginal flanges 22. The gear segments carried by the operating bracket is also formed with gear teeth 23 which mesh with a roller gear 24 carried upon an operating shaft 25. The operating shaft 25 is rotatably supported between bearing lugs 26, sets of which are carried by each of the frame elements it and H. The gear segments 2! are formed with cylindrical trunnions 21 which extend from the opposite sides thereof and project through openings 28 formed in the side frame members l6 and H of the brackets. These openings are U-shaped and are opened at their lower ends so that the gear with its trunnlons may be inserted through the mouth 20 and into the frame structure. The gears are held in rotatable positions by rollers 29 carried upon pins 30. The rollers 29 project from the frame elements 16 and I1 and occur on opposite sides of the gear segments 2| These rollers with their pins stand in a position relative tated. It will be understood that there is no worm gear in the bracket structure l4 since the driving operation is efiected through the bracket structure I 5 only. The worm gear shaft 25 is fitted at its outer end with a pulley element 3| which is here shown as being formedwith a plurality of V-shaped teeth 32. An outer pulley element 33 is secured to the end of the shaft 25 by a screw 34. This outer pulley element carries a plurality of teeth 32. These teeth may be designed to engage an operating cord 35 or if desirable may be designed so that an operating chain might be used in the place of the cord. This can be readily changed to accommodate a cord or chain by interchanging the outer members 33. The cord 35 as shown in Fig. 1 is endless so that it may be continuously drawn from one side to the other and will rotate the shaft 25. Formed as a part of each of the trunnlons 21 are substantially V-shaped end, projections 36 which project axially from the ends of the trunnions, and as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings are of greater width at their lower edges than their upper edges. These extensions project into correspondingly shaped openings 31 of socket 38 which are fastened by pins 39 driven into the ends of the tilt bar 48. Attention is directed to the fact that the socket 38 is ofi center with relation to the axis of the gear segments 2| so that the longitudinal center line of the tilt rail 48 will be above the axial center of the gears 2| when the gears and the tilt rail are in their longitudinally aligned position as indicated in Fig. 4 of the drawings. This insures that the center of gravity of the tilt rail will be disposed above its rotating center so that when the gears 2| are rotated to swing the tilt rail in either direction the center of gravity will shift and will overbalance the tilt rail so that it will tend to stay in a desired angularly disposed position. Attention is directed to the fact that during such movement the gears are supported on their rollers 29, thus giving a wide bearing surface and preventing binding of the parts.

When the tilt rail is of excessive length it is desirable to support it at a point intermediate its ends by a bracket 4| which carries a roller trunnion 42. This trunnion is engaged by an arcuate lip 43 carried upon a bracket 44 mounted .upon the tilt bar at a point intermediate its ends. It will thus be evident that as the tilt bar rotates the flange 43 will move along and over the trunnion roller 42 and support the same, since the arc of the flange is concentric with the rotating axes of the gear segments 2|. The tilt bar 40 carries a plurality of strips of webbing 45 which are spaced parallel to each other and receive small transverse webbing strips upon which Venetian blind slats are disposed in the usual manner. The tilt bars are formed with openings 41 through them to accommodate operating cords 48 which are led down through the openings 41 in the tilt bar and through a series of vertically aligned openings in the successive slats 4'6, and are secured at their lower ends to a bottom bar 49. The upper ends of the cords 48 are led over guide pulleys 50 in the header I, after which the cords are led along the channel l2 within the header II to and through a fitting 5|. This fitting is a detachable structure comprising an outer frame having opposite side plates 53 and 54. These plates are spaced apart and may accommodate a double grooved pulley 55 at their upper ends. The pulley is mounted upon an axle 56. The upper portion of the frame elements carrying the pulley project through an opening 51 formed in the header. The lower frame portion carries a locking detent 58 which as shown in Fig. 8 of the drawings has a plurality of teeth 59, which would be engaged by the cords 48 in their upward move ment, and will lock the cords temporarily so that the entire Venetian blind will be held in a desired adjusted position. The frame structure is detachably and reversibly mounted upon one of the brackets I4 or |5 as desired. This assembly is efiected by a vertical pin 60 carried by the upper overhanging portion of the side frame elements 56 and 5-1, and a horizontal pin 6| carried at a point near the lower end of the frame structure. The pin 60 extends into an opening 62 of the bracket flange and the pin 6| extends into the opening of a boss 63 projecting from the face of the bracket. As shown in Fig. 11 of the drawings there are two openings 62 and 63 at each end of each of the brackets I4 and I5. This makes it possible to mount the fittings 5| as required at either end of the tilt bar or on either side of the bracket. The fitting 5| is disposed at an angle to the vertical, thus making it possible for the cords 48 to be conveniently presented for operation and to be easily manipulated so as to release the cord from the gripping action of the member 58 and its gripping jaws 59. Attention is directed to the fact that the frame structure carries a vertical separating member 64 upon opposite sides of which the cords 48 are led on to the separate grooves of the pulley 55. At the bottom of the frame structure a separating member 65 is provided, as particularly shown in Fig. 9, to maintain the cords 48 in their separate paths so that thereis not a possibility for these cords to become entangled.

In operation of the present invention the header bar is mounted at the top of a window frame and upon it are secured the tilt brackets I4 and I5. These may be selectively arranged, since in some instances it may be more convenient and accessible to have the operating bracket i5 at the opposite end of the header bar from that shown in Fig. '7 of the drawings. In any event the brackets are secured in a downwardly depending position and the proper end of the header has been selected for the application of the cord assembly 5|. When this selection has been made and the openings 51 cut through the bottom of the header the cord assembly is assembled with the bracket, as for example with bracket l4, by inserting the pin 68 through the opening 82 in the bracket frame and by seating the pin 6| in the opening in the boss 63. The cords 48 are then suitably connected with the lower blind rail 49 and threaded upwardly through the openings in the various slats 46 and the opening 41 in the tilt rail 40, after which these cords are led downwardly through the fittings 5| to a suitable wrapping knob 65 fastened on a window frame. The cord 35 is led over the members 3| and 33 and engages them so that movement of the cord will cause rotation of the shaft 25. The cord 35 is confined between the discs of the members 3| and 33 by a substantially semi-circular canopy 6'! which circumscribes the portion of the pulley structure occurring above its axis. One half of this canopy is carried by each of the frame elements l6 and I1, and embraces the pulley in a manner to prevent the cable 31 from becoming jammed or displaced. When the cable 35 is drawn in either direction the shaft 25 will be rotated. This will move the gear 23 carried by the gear segments 2| and will rotate the segment and the tilt rail 40 carried thereby. The normal position of the tilt rail is shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. Here it will be seen that the rail is in horizontal balance with its central axis aa above the central axis b-b of the trunnions 21. At the same time the vertical axis -0 of the tilt rail will intersect the axes a-a of the tilt rail bb of the trunnions. When the tilt rail 40 is moved to an inclined position, as shown in Fig. 6, it will be seen that the point of intersection of the axis 0-41 of the tilt rail and the axis 0-0 will be shifted off center from the vertical center line which constantly intersects the rotating axis of the trunnions 2'! and the rotating axis of the rollers 29. Thus the tilt bar will be overbalanced. This will insure that the tilt rail and all of the slats connected therewith will assume positions in parallel, and will be maintained in their overbalanced relationship to keep the tilt rail and the slats M5 in a set inclined position. When it is desired to simultaneously raise and lower all of the slats, irrespective of their set angular position, the cords 48 may be swung free of the locking detent 58 so that they may be raised or lowered, after which they may be swung toward the locking detent and released, thus swinging the detent into binding engagement with the cord.

By reference to Fig. 7 of the drawings it will be seen that the plates 53 and 541 of the fitting 5i have flange elements 53' and 56 respectively, one of which abuts against the under face of the head rail 9 i and cooperates with the pins 60 and Si in holding the fitting in position without the need for another fastening means.

Attention is directed particularly to the adaptability of the tilt brackets due to the possibility of interchanging all of the parts of the brackets M and i5 as wellas the cord guide fitting iii. The brackets maybe selectively placed alternately at 'opposite ends of the rail to suit conditions and the cord guidefltting 5i may be interchangeably attached to the bracket it upon either side as required. This eliminates the necessity for right and left hand casting or fittings. grooved pulleys are shown and described these pulleys may be smooth if desired.

It will thus be seen that the structure here disclosed provides a set of simple and compact mounting features for a Venetian blind tilt rail,

said parts acting directly and positively to control the angular adjustment of the individual slats of a Venetian blind and the degree of opening of the blind.

While I have shown the preferred form of my invention, as now known to me, it will be understood that various changes might be made in the combination, construction, and arrangement of parts, by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with a tiltrrail, a pair of tilt rail brackets, one disposed at each end of a tilt rail, an oscillating member carried by each of said brackets, said members rotating around a common fixed axis, driving means for one of said oscillating members, and inter-engaging means between the oscillating members and the tilt rail whereby the tilt rail will be supported with its It is also to be understood that while" central axis eccentrically of the common rotating axis of the oscillating members.

2. In combination with a tilt rail of a Venetian blind, a header bar disposed thereabove, a pair of brackets depending from the header at opposite ends thereof, each of said brackets including a frame, oscillating members, one disposed within each of said frames and adapted to rotate around the common fixed horizontal axis, a flange formed as a part of each of said oscillating members and being concentric with the retating axis thereof, and means carried by the frame elements and engaging said flanges to support the oscillating members and the intermediate tilt rail connected therewith.

3. In combination with a tilt rail of a Venetian blind, a header bar disposed thereabove, a pair of brackets depending from the header at opposite ends thereof, each of said brackets including a frame, oscillating members, one disposed with in each of said frames and adapted to rotate around the common fixed horizontal axis, a flange formed as a part of each of said oscillating members and being concentric with the r0- tating axis thereof, and means carried by the frame elements and engaging said flanges to support the oscillating members and the intermediate tilt rail connected therewith, the axis of the tilt rail being eccentric to the axis of the oscillating members.

4. In combination with a tilt rail of a Venetian blind, a header bar disposed thereabove, a pair of brackets depending from the header at opposite ends thereof, each of said brackets including a frame, oscillating members, one disposed within each of said frames and adapted to rotate around the ,common fixed horizontal axis, a flange formed as a part of each of said oscillating members and being concentric with the rotating axis thereof, and means carried by the frame elements and engaging said flanges to support the oscillating members and the intermediate tilt rail connected therewith, the axis of the tilt rail being eccentric to the axis of the oscillating members and normally thereabove.

5. In a Venetian blind a tilt rail bracket comprising a vertically depending frame structure formed at its lower edge with a bearing slot, an

oscillating member having a hub rotatable within said slot and confined against lateral movement, pins extending inwardly along the opposite sides of the oscillating member and carried by the frame, a marginal flange formed upon the oscillating member and disposed concentrically of the axis of said oscillating member and overhanging the pins, and rollers carried upon the pins and engaged by the flange whereby the weight of the oscillating member will be supported by the rollers and the pins as-the oscillating member moves.

6. In a Venetian blind, a tilt rail bracket comprising a vertically depending frame structure formed at its lower edge with a bearing slot, an oscillating member having a hub rotatable within said slot and confined against lateral movement, pins extending inwardly along the opposite sides of the oscillating member and carried by the frame, a marginal flange formed upon the oscillating member and disposed concentrically of the axis of said oscillating member and overhanging the pins, and rollers carried upon the pins and engaged by the flange whereby the weight of the oscillating member will be supported by the rollers and the pins as the oscillating member moves, and driving means for the oscillating member.

'7. In a Venetian blind, a tilt rail bracket comprising a vertically depending frame structure formed at its lower edge with a bearing slot, an Oscillating member having a hub rotatable within said slot and confined against lateral movement, pins extending inwardly along the opposite sides of the oscillating member and carried by the frame, a marginal flange formed upon the oscillating member and disposed concentrically of the axis of said oscillating member and overhanging the pins, rollers carried upon the pins and engaged by the flange whereby the weight of the oscillating member will be supported by the rollers and the pins as the oscillating member moves, and means detachably connecting the oscillating member with a tilt rail and maintaining the longitudinal central axis of the tilt rail eccentric of the fixed central axis of the oscillating member.

WILLIAM E. SHEHAN. 

